


I Don't Wanna Fall in Love

by Saturn_Silk



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26201140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saturn_Silk/pseuds/Saturn_Silk
Summary: Dr. Lena Luthor has got herself tangled up in a white lie. Pretending to already have a date for the fundraising gala at work seemed like the perfect way to avoid Dr. Olsen's unwanted advances. The problem was now she needed to find one. Thankfully, Dr. Kara Danvers volunteers. This is a great idea, right?  It's just one night. It's totally not going to impact their work-life. Right??OR Fake Dating Hospital AU
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 41
Kudos: 323





	1. I

“Would you do me the honor of attending the gala with me?”

_Oh._

So that’s what he wanted. Lena should’ve known that when Dr. Olsen summoned her down to the ER that it wasn’t about a case or a patient. It was very seldom that her cardiology skills were needed in the ER, and the odd cases that needed her expertise were usually paged through to her as an emergency. However, today, nurse Schott cornered her at the vending machine and informed her that James personally requested her presence. That, in and of itself, should have been her first warning sign.

Lena realized that James was still staring at her, hands on his hips, stethoscope dangling around his neck, flashing his brilliant smile at her with hopeful eyes. She smiled back what she hoped to be a sympathetic smile as she glanced at her feet. How was she going to let him down easily? When she looked back up at him, she noticed his smile had grown, obviously mistaking her silence for shy consideration.

“James, I don’tー ”

The rest of Lena’s sentence was drowned out by the sudden sound of paramedics shouting as they wheeled a stretcher in through the sliding doors on the far end of the room. James’ smile turned apologetic before he jumped into action and ran towards the commotion.

“36-year-old female. Massive abdominal bruising, BP 80/50, large wound to the right leg.”

James turned around mid-jog, easily running backward as he addressed Lena again.

“We’ll talk about this later, okay?”

Lena felt herself nod stupidly as she watched James take over from the paramedics and lift the patient off the stretcher. It was fine. It was going to be fine. She would just inform James that she didn’t want to be his date for the fundraising gala that she was apparently forced to attend in less than three weeks.

Lene groaned inwardly as she made her way out of the ER. A charity event that was compulsory? Ridiculous. When she first saw the posters going up on the notice board a little less than a week ago, she paid it no mind. She wasn’t planning on going. She never went to any of the functions when she was working at Metropolis General, and she wasn’t going to change that just because she was working at a new hospital. Besides, that was all the more reason not to go. She barely knew anyone in National City Hospital. She supposed that was her own fault. She had ample time to get to know her colleagues in the last two months, and she knew exactly which bar most of the attendings frequented after a long week. Despite that, the only two people she really interacted with outside the operating room were Samantha Arias and Dr. Dox.

When Sam mentioned something about the fundraiser weeks ago, Lena was quick to tell her she wouldn’t be attending. Much to Lena’s terror, Sam informed her that it was compulsory as by order of the Chief of Surgery, J’onn J’onzz. It was tradition, Sam had said. Every year, the Hospital hosted an extravagant charity ball with the hopes of raising funds for equipment and medical advances. It was the perfect opportunity to impress board members and investors alike, and to get National City’s wealthiest to open their hearts and their pockets, leading to sizable donations. When Lena shook her head and still refused to go, offering to write a sizable cheque of her own instead, Sam let out a laugh.

_“_ There’s no point in refusing, Lena. Dr. J’onzz will hunt you down and convince you. Besides, it’s one night out of the year and I guarantee it will be much more fun than sitting in that ivory tower you call a penthouse and reading medical journals.”

Lena hadn’t responded and truthfully she didn’t give the situation another thought, too preoccupied with her duties as attending cardiothoracic surgeon. As Sam predicted, Dr. J’onzz did make a few rounds through the hospital in the days that followed. Lena wouldn’t say that she had been avoiding him, per se, but she made it her priority to become extremely busy the moment he entered her vicinity. He cornered her eventually, much to her dismay.

“Excited to attend the staff function, Dr. Luthor?” He asked, nudging his head towards the poster that was pasted in front of the nurse’s station where Lena was in the process of signing a document.

Lena didn’t bother to look up from the documents, hoping that her obvious lack of interest would deter their Chief of Surgery. “Actually, I’m not so sure I’ll be going.”

“Nonsense! Every attending is required to be there. You’re expected to mingle with elites, tell them about the wonders of medicine. How else will we sell ourselves? And no ‘butts’,” he added with a raised hand when Lena opened her mouth. “It will be great fun.”

So that was thatー it was settled. Lena would be going. But she would be going alone. She didn’t intend to bring a plus one, and as nice a guy as James seemed to be, he wasn’t going to change her mind.

Still wondering just how she was going to turn him down without seeming like a bitch, Lena walked all the way to the canteen in search of some caffeine. She needed her fix before her next consultation. She grabbed a cup of black coffee from the coffee cart inside the canteen and checked her wristwatch. She still had 20 minutes of downtime. Deciding to do something she seldomly did, Lena walked to one of the open tables and took a seat on the uncomfortable plastic chair.

Usually, she would spend any free time in the private staff room or in one of the on-call rooms. _“That’s why you know no other than me in this place,”_ Sam’s voice echoed through her mind. That wasn’t true. Lena knew Dr. Dox and his friend, the scanning technician. What was her name again… something with an ‘N’? Or was it an ‘L’? Nena? No, that wasn’t it. Oh, Nia! And then there was James, who refused to let Lena call him Dr. Olsen, and nurse Schott that had spoken to her a handful of times. So yeah, see Sam, Lena knew loads of people.

Lena sipped her coffee and glanced around the canteen to see if she spotted anyone else that she knew. She came up short. It was still early in the day so the canteen wasn't very populated, leaving most of the white plastic tables unoccupied. A couple of people were grabbing hot beverages or late breakfasts, however none of the doctors or nurses that Lena spotted connected with any name in her mind. It was just a sea of dark and light blue scrubs, and if it wasn't for the subtle color difference or addition of lab coats, Lena doubted that she’d even be able to differentiate between doctors and nurses. Perhaps Sam was right after all.

Halfway through her coffee, Lena noticed two vaguely familiar faces sitting towards the corner of the canteen. The Danvers sisters, her brain helpfully supplied after a moment’s ponder. She’d seen them float around the hospital a handful of times, and although she’d never actually spoken to either of them, she heard enough to be aware that they were popular. She knew their names were Kara and Alex, thanks to Sam mentioning it more than once, (Lena was seriously beginning to think that Sam had a crush on the one named Alex) but Lena didn't know who was who. All she knew is that they looked the furthest thing from sisters. One had short reddish hair, and the other wavy blonde hair and a pair of glasses. If Sam had a crush on one of them, Lena decided as she swirled her coffee and observed the sisters, it had to be the blonde one. Even from a distance, Lena could tell that she was cute as she animatedly gestured something to her sister before stuffing a massive forkful of something into her mouth. Suddenly the blonde one looked up from her meal and looked straight into Lena’s eyes. She froze, her chewing coming to a halt before she lifted her hand in an awkward wave. Lena smiled back before getting up to deposit her now empty coffee cup in the bin, her ears stinging slightly at the thought that she’d been caught staring.

It was much later that day when Lena finished her shift. The sun was setting, and the wind was icy, biting at her cheeks and neck. Her couch and a nice glass of wine were calling her name and perhaps even a book if her eyes would stay open long enough for her to read more than a few words. Unfortunately, it seemed they were not the only things calling her. _Literally_.

“Dr. Luthor, wait up!” A voice echoed through the abandoned parking lot.

Lena groaned but plastered a smile on her face as she turned around to face James. He was jogging towards her, his tie fluttering in the wind and his brown leather briefcase dangling from his hand.

“I’m glad I caught you,” he said when he came to a stop in front of her.

Lena fiddled with her car keys as she waited for the inevitable.

“About our conversation this morning. I’m still waiting for your answer.”

“Look, James, I’m flattered, but I’m going to decline.”

James’ face fell slightly, but he didn’t seem deterred. “Why?”

“I, it’s justー”

“Do you already have a date?” His eyebrows furrowed.

“Yes,” Lena answered without thinking. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

James brought up a hand to run along his chin as he looked away from her.

“I’m really sorry. Have a good night.”

Lena crossed the short distance to her car, but James seemingly recovered from his mild shock and followed her across the parking lot.

“Is it anyone I know?” 

Lena shook her head as she unlocked her car. “I’m afraid I really need to get going.”

She shot him one last apologetic smile before reversing out of the parking spot, inwardly cringing at the white lie she told

***

The next day Lena made a point of it to avoid James and the ER in general, worried that he would confront her again. She didn’t have a date, obviously, but at the time it seemed like the perfect escape plan. She hadn’t actually taken into consideration that James would want to know who it was, or even worse, that she would have to now show up to the event with said date. She should’ve just been honest with him, but it was too late now. By lunchtime, Lena contemplated not going to the gala after all. She was sitting in the staff room staring at the blank wall in front of her as she went through her options. Faking an illness couldn’t be that hard. She was willing to literally induce food poisoning if that’s what it took.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a figure flopped onto the couch next to her, causing them both to hop a little on the worn-out springs.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Sam asked through a mouth of yogurt.

Lena hummed absently as she shifted her stare to the coffee table in front of them where Sam had taken to rest her feet upon. 

“Fine, keep your secrets.”

Lena rolled her eyes as she turned herself to face her friend. Sam was still shoveling yogurt into her mouth with raised eyebrows.

“Slow down.”

“Can’t,” Sam said in between a bite. “Have a consultation in 10 minutes.”

“Oh, Mrs. Woods with the broken ankle?” Lena enquired.

“No, she finished her physiotherapy last week. Now stop changing the subject.”

Lena sighed, unsure of how to explain her issue. “I’m in a bit of a conundrum.”

Before Lena could go any further, the door of the staff room swung open, revealing a blonde woman. One of the Danvers sisters, Lena realized immediately, a surge of embarrassment spiking through her. It was the cute one she was openly staring at before. In one hand she held a brown takeout bag, and the other had a phone pressed against her ear.

“That’s perfect, Eliza.” She heard the blonde say into her phone as she walked toward the opposite end of the room and settled herself at one of the tables. “Yeah, I’ll let Alex know.”

So this one had to be Kara, Lena mused, watching as the woman removed what seemed to be a massive order of potstickers from the paper bag as she clenched her cell phone between her shoulder and cheek. For the first time, Lena took notice of the woman's scrubs. She sported the same dark blue scrubs pants as all the doctors did, but the top was different. Instead of plain blue, it was littered with little creaturesー dogs, Lena realized as she spotted what seemed to be a dalmatian wagging its tail. Only pediatricians opted to wear that type of uniform. 

“Hello!” Sam clicked her fingers to get Lena’s attention. “You were saying?”

Lena glanced at the doctor in the corner again and checked to make sure that she was still preoccupied with her phone call.

“James,” Lena began in a slightly hushed voice, “has asked me to be his date for the gala. As you can imagine, I said no.”

Sam suppressed a grin. “Come on, Lena! Give the man a break. He has the biggest crush on you.”

“Yes, I know. I feel terrible for shooting him down. He genuinely seems like a nice guy butー you know.”

Sam silenced her by placing a hand on Lena’s. “I know, I’m only teasing. You don't need to feel bad, it would’ve been worse if you gave him false hope.”

Lena sighed. “That’s not the worst part. I told him I couldn't go with him because I already have a date.”

Sam cocked her head to the side accusingly, her spoonful of yogurt hovering midway between the container and her mouth “You didn’t.”

“I did. He asked, and I panicked and I really just wanted to go home.”

“Well. Just tell him your date fell through, but you still don’t want to go with him.”

“He’d know I made up the date then!” Lena whispered anxiously.

Sam scooped a few more spoonfuls into her mouth as she stared at her friend. “You know you can easily organize yourself a date, right?”

“Who? I don’t know anyone in the city that I could ask.”

Lena thought back to the fact that she barely knew any colleagues and realized she knew no one outside of work either. She didn't even know the name of a single person who lived in her building. If only Jack was here. He’d go with her as a friend in a heartbeat, but unfortunately for her, Jack was miles away back in Metropolis, likely spending most of his time in the morgue, flirting with the new coroner he was working with. 

“Ever heard of Tinder?” Sam asked mockingly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Jeez, Lena, live a little. I know you have ridiculously high standards, but who knows what lovely ladies you’re missing out on.”

“You know I’m not in the market for a relationship. What would I put as my bio in any case? _‘Single, lonely doctor looking for a date to a work function. Nothing more._ ’ That sounds pathetic.”

Lena let out a frustrated sigh. She didn't want to find some random woman to bring to her place of work. That felt desperate. No, if she was going to bring someone, it would have to be an established relationship. Which she didn't have. So back to food poisoning it was.

Sam hummed thoughtfully and then remained quiet as she scraped the last bit of yogurt out of the container. “I have an idea, but I know you're not gonna like it.”

Lena raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “What?”

“Do exactly that. Find someone to pretend to be your girlfriend. Just for the night. I know for a fact escorts would be willing to do just that for a decent rate.”

Lena’s eyes widened at her friend's suggestion. “You can’t be serious.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Lena fell back into silence. As much as she loathed to admit it, she did in fact not have any better idea that didn't involve her deliberately impacting her health. “Okay. Sam, will you pretend to be my date then?”

Sam stood up and deposited her now empty yogurt cup in the bin. “No can do. I’ve already got my eyes set on someone else.” With one last mischievous grin, Sam left the staff room.

Lena closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath. She was royally fucked with no one to blame but herself.

“I’ll do it!”

Lena’s eyes snapped open as she located the source of the abrupt voice. Dr. Danvers, or Kara, as Lena deduced, was still sitting in the corner of the room, phone discarded next to an almost empty takeout container. Lena had forgotten that the other woman was present. How much had she heard?

“I’m sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop! I justー I wasー I couldn't help but overhear.” The woman turned a light shade of pick as she moved to reposition her glasses nervously.

“You’ll do what, exactly?” Lena inquired, still at a loss.

“I could, you know, escort you to the gala. That way you wouldn't have to put up with your unwanted suitor or scramble to find someone else. I mean, unless you already had some else in mind. I’m sure you’d find someone willing and able on Tinder in a heartbeat! That’s cool too.” She turned redder with every passing second of her rambling.

Under normal circumstances, Lena would have laughed at such a ridiculous proposition seeing as this woman was a practical stranger, but Lena bit her tongue as the rambling continued.

“I could just pretend to be your date for the night like Dr. Arias suggested. Again, I didn't mean to listen cause that would be rude, but she wasn't very quiet.”

Lena hesitated once the stream of words died down. “Look, Dr. Danvers, that’s a really sweet proposition. Truly.” It _was_ endearing. No one ever offered to do anything for Lena, especially not strangers, and never something this crazy. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea. I mean, we work together and I barely know you. I don't want to drag you into my mess.”

“Sure, yeah, I understand.” Kara nodded and cleared her throat as she seemed to pull herself together. “I hope you’ll manage to work something out.”

Kara shot Lena a shy smile before she hopped up from her table with her leftover lunch and headed out the door, leaving Lena to her thoughts again.

It wasn’t until much later that day that Lena’s thoughts gravitated back to Kara Danvers. She had just finished her checking up on a patient when a flash of blonde hair caught her attention in the hallway. It wasn’t Kara, but Lena’s mind immediately wandered back to the conversation they had mere hours ago. Suddenly, she couldn't help but wonder if she should've taken Dr. Danvers up on her offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naturally, the will be an Alex/Sam side ship happening here xD Let me know what you think!


	2. II

More than 24 hours and two back-to-back surgeries later, Lena found herself still preoccupied with Kara. Her thoughts kept drifting towards the blonde doctor on their own accord, and try as she must, Lena couldn’t get Kara and her proposition out of her mind. It was silly. Lena couldn’t accept Kara’s offer. It was preposterous. There was no way that they would be able to pull it off. Theoretically, it would be much too complicated. They’d have to lie to their colleagues and the entire hospital staff about being together for a couple of days and then they’d have to contrive a reason for their supposed breakup some days later... Just thinking about it made Lena’s head spin. Nothing good ever came from lying, so the logical thing to do was to find the courage and just tell James she wasn’t interested in him, or even more, truthfully admit that she almost exclusively dated women. It sounded simple enough, but Lena wasn’t sure if she could ever live down the embarrassment of admitting that her supposed date was fabricated all along.

Hallway through her second coronary bypass of the day, Lena was still stewing over her options. So much so that the theatre nurse was starting to lose her patience with Lena. Sure, she could do a bypass in her sleep by now, but that didn’t justify her zoning out, even if it was only for a second. The nurse next to her inconspicuously nudged at Lena’s foot underneath the operating table, jolting her back into action from where her hands were frozen above the patient’s chest. The nurse cleared her throat and eyed Lena skeptically as she got back to work. Lena immediately felt herself blush underneath her mask, and she doubled her efforts at keeping any imposing thoughts at bay.

Lena managed to stay focused for the remainder of the surgery and breathed an audible sigh of relief when she was able to rip her gown and gloves off. Halfway through washing her hands, Lena caught herself slipping again. Her mind easily conjured up blue eyes, offering to be her date for the staff function. There was no malice behind those eyes, no other intention behind that awkward yet charming smile than simply wanting to help. It truly was an endearing offer, Lena thought as she dried her hands, but she couldn’t accept it. She was sure Kara was just pitying her, which was understandable. Lena was sure she would’ve pitied herself too if she wasn’t so furious with herself.

With one last sigh and an extremely satisfying back crack, Lena walked out into the passage. Like most nights, home was calling. Lena was dead on her feet, running purely on the fumes of her last cup of coffee from almost eight hours ago. All she needed to do was fill in some paperwork, and then she’d be off. Of course, the universe had other plans for her. Paperwork handled and the change room her new goal, Lena hazily walked through the passage, only to almost run straight into Dr. Olsen.

“Lena! You’re here late.”

“Emergency bypass,” Lena explained, eyeing the door to the change room that was just behind him. 

James nodded understandingly. “Hey, I’m glad I caught you. I was wondering, who is this mysterious date you have lined up?”

Lena suppressed a groan. “It’s no one.”

James shifted on his feet and raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, it’s obviously someone.” Not that it would be any of your business, Lena added silently.

“Well, who is it?”

This time Lena couldn't hold back her sigh. She was tired. Exhausted. That’s why when her answer came out a bit snappy, she didn’t even feel bad. “Why do you care?”

“I need to know who my competition is.” James flashed his brilliant smile down at Lena.

“There’s no competition.”

“Come on, don’t deny a man the opportunity to woo a lady. So who is it? Give me his name so I can have a couple of friendly drinks with him.”

“It’s not a ‘him,’” Lena got out through gritted teeth.

“What?”

“It’s a ‘her.’ Kara Danvers.”

James visibly deflated. His face fell, all traces of confidence erased from his features. “Kara?” he echoed.

“Yes, Kara,” Lena confirmed. And then the reality of what she was saying slipped into her foggy brain, shocking all traces of tiredness out of her system. 

_Fuck._

“Oh, so you’re… Okay then.” James was visibly flustered as he scratched the back of his neck. To his defense, he recovered quickly. “It’s just strange that Kara never mentioned anything to me. Or any of her other friends. I mean, just last week at games night, she confirmed that she wasn’t seeing anyone. Does Alex know?” At this point, James seemed to be muttering to himself rather than Lena.

_Double fuck._

Kara was friends with James. That certainly complicated the matterー if that was even possible at this point. “Well, that would be my fault.” Lena composed herself and flashed an apologetic smile. “I asked her to keep things private for the time being.”

James looked thoroughly confused, but he nodded nonetheless.

Lena shifted on her feet nervously. “If you’ll excuse me, James, I really should get going. It’s been a long day.”

Lena didn’t wait for a reply as she brushed past him and sped down the hallway. The change room was no longer a point of interest. Changing out of her scrubs could wait. She had to find Kara. Immediately. She walked down the empty halls as quickly as she could without drawing unnecessary attention, her trainers squeaking with every step. Finally, she reached the sign pointing towards the pediatrics, and she slowed from her power walk to a dead stop. She had no idea where she would find Kara, or if she was even still at work this time of the night. The clock on the wall read a quarter past ten. Perhaps Kara would still be around. Although unfamiliar with this part of the hospital, Lena started towards where she supposed the nurse’s station would be, hoping they would be able to point her in the right direction.

Turning the corner, Lena came to an abrupt halt again. There was the woman she was looking for, her back leaning against the nurse’s station as she bounced a bouncy rubber ball on the floor and caught it one-handed as it bounced off the wall in front of her. Behind her, a young-looking nurse was watching Kara with dreamy interest, her chin resting on one hand and the other absently twirling a strand of her blonde hair.

Lena felt the urge to scoff at the picture in front of her, but when her gaze filtered back towards Kara with more interest than before, she had to admit she could see the appeal. Theoretically, of course. Kara scrubs were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was wearing a slim fit, khaki-colored chino with a simple navy button-up shirt and her white lab coat. The lab coat was pushed to the side, allowing Kara to slip a hand into her pants pocket. Both the pants and the shirt fit her snugly, and even from Lena’s distance, she could see how it accentuated all the right places. Like a very solid-looking thigh and calf combo. So yes, _theoretically_ , Lena could understand why the nurse was practically drooling as she watched Kara.

Kara seemed oblivious, still happily bouncing her ball, the soft thuds the only sound echoing down through the otherwise empty hallway. Lena wrung her hands nervously from where she was still frozen, not sure how to approach Kara. In her rush to get to her, Lena never stopped to consider what she would actually say. “ _Hey, I know I declined your ridiculous offer yesterday, but I accidentally told someone we’re dating. Are you still willing to help me?_ ” Yes, perhaps that’s precisely what she should say.

Squaring her shoulders, Lena stepped closer and cleared her throat as she reached Kara. The doctor’s head snapped towards the sound. Startled, Kara fumbled with her ball, dropping it before ducking down as she fought to catch it again before it hit the floor.

“Oh, uh, Dr. Luthor!” Kara stumbled once she recovered her grip on the ball. She slipped the object into her coat’s pocket and brought up a hand to fiddle with her glasses.

“Can I talk to you?” Lena said, forgoing niceties. Her voice sounded strained even to herself. “Somewhere private,” she added as she made eye contact with the nurse, who quickly looked down and busied herself with reshuffling papers.

“Yeah, of course.”

Kara led them out of the passage and into a nearby room, closing the door behind them once she ushered Lena inside. Lena found herself in a space unlike any other she had encountered in the hospital. The room was filled with toys, some in colorful plastic crates that lined the walls, others scattered around the floor. She noticed a dollhouse off to the side as well as an impressive play kitchen. A couple of plastic tables and chairs were placed in the middle of the room, and Kara gravitated towards them, taking a seat on one of the chairs. She looked ridiculous, a grown woman sitting on a chair designed for children, her long legs bending awkwardly to compensate for how low to the ground she was. On any other day, the image would have caused Lena to shake her head and possibly even laugh, but today it only added to her nervesー even more so when Kara gestured for Lena to take the chair opposite her. Lena shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“This shouldn’t take long.”

Kara frowned and got back on her feet with surprising agility, looking at Lena expectantly. A silence settled between them, the only sound Lena’s accelerated heartbeat drumming in her ears. Lena opened her mouth, hesitated, and then closed it again. The crease between Kara’s eyebrows deepened.

“Is something wrong?”

“I…” Lena sighed. “Please tell me your offer was genuine yesterday. And if so, does it still stand?”

Kara let out a soft _oh_ as she realized what Lena was referring to. “Yeah, and yeah,” she answered sheepishly. “I mean, I was serious about it.”

“Good, because I will have to take you up on that.”

Kara was silent for only a moment, but it was enough for Lena’s mind to go into overdrive. What if she refused her? What would she tell James then?

“Sure,” Kara shrugged. “I said I would. What made you change your mind?”

Lena cast her eyes down, suddenly very interested in the rug at her feet. Her eyes traced the roads on the imaginary city printed out on it. 

“I may have accidentally told someone that we were going together.” Kara raised her eyebrows, and Lena hastened to defend herself. “I panicked. I was so tired, and James kept pressuring me to tell him who my date is and your name just slipped out. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked you first.”

“Hey, I already offered.”

Lena looked up to see no judgment or regret clouding Kara’s eyes. Instead, she was smiling, and for the first time that day, Lena felt her shoulders relax, albeit just by an inch.

“Thank you, Dr. Danvers, I owe you.”

Kara waved her away awkwardly. “Don’t mention it.” Her eyebrows knotted then as she asked, “Why was James asking about your date?”

“He is my unwanted suitor. I thought you knew that.”

“Oh,” she breathed as her eyes widened. “I didn't hear your entire conversation. I just assumedー I mean, I don't know who I assumed it was but not him.”

James’s earlier words came back to Lena. “Kara never mentioned anything to me... just last week at games night, she confirmed that she wasn’t seeing anyone.”

“I didn’t realize you guys were close until after I told him it was you. Shit, now I feel even worse, putting you in a position where you have to con your friend.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Kara muttered to herself. “But don’t stress it though,” Kara said a little louder as she addressed Lena. “We’ll pull this off easily, and James will be none the wiser. Besides, this will be mutually beneficial.” Her cheeks pinked, and she gesticulated wildly. “Not like that! I justー let’s just say this agreement might help me get someone off my back too. It’ll be great.”

Lena nodded mutely, surprised by Kara’s unwavering positivity and hint of crypticism. The silence stretched on, and Lena could feel her earlier tiredness seep back into her bones.

“Well, thank you again. I guess I’ll see you around.”

Kara smiled brightly before opening the door and following Lena back out into the passage.

It wasn't until later that night when the severity of the whole situation came crashing down on Lena. Despite the fact that less than an hour ago she was ready to fall asleep standing up, sleep wouldn’t come to her. Staring up at the ceiling from her king-sized bed, she replayed the events of the last 36 hours. She and her big mouth, overthinking everything instead of just being truthful. She felt guilty for lying to James, and even more so for dragging Kara into her web of lies. Sure, she seemed willing enough, but this was bound to end badly. 

But no, it couldn’t. She had moved away from Metropolis for a fresh start, away from her family’s tarnished reputation. Away from the stain of Lex’s failed clinical trial. She had to make it work in National City. This fake relationship would have to be as convincing as they could possibly get it.

Lena grabbed her phone as she rolled onto her side and composed a text to Sam.

_We need to speak asap. Can you be at the hospital earlier tomorrow morning?_


End file.
